Give a Cortina a Home

Mark I Ford Cortinas are aren't exactly thick on the ground here in the US. In fact, many of them may have corroded back into the ground waiting to be mined again for some future iron ore use.

An uncommon model of this uncommon car is for sale in Positive Earth's home turf of the American Gulf Coast. A Pensacola, Florida resident has one listed on Craig's List for an unmentioned sum. He claims that it is a 1966 model and the photos show that it is a station wagon (estate car) on Rostyle wheels (mostly).

As to be expected, the car is rather rough with various dents and scrapes. As far as corrosion goes well, you better act quickly while there is still an identifiable car. Yes, it's difficult to make a case for restoration but wouldn't an estate Lotus Cortina clone  be a hoot?  As it is, it would be of value for parts harvesting only.

Check out the Craig's List post here.

Is it Time to Give the TR7 Another Look?

How do you replace a Johnny Carson or Walter Cronkite or a deeply-loved sports car model? The simple answer is: it ain't easy.  We still have a "Tonight Show" and a "CBS Evening News" but we do not have a Triumph TR. While the television shows mentioned came out OK after their changes, the car-buying American public (and automotive press) was torn over the replacement for Triumph's much loved TR6 roadster - the Triumph TR7.

American auto safety regulations were running somewhat ahead of current auto technology in the 1970s. A raft of new standards put forward by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) meant that car makers were legislated into inventing equipment and systems that never before existed in order to be compliant. 

British automakers in the form of British Leyland gamely kept up the "make do and mend" approach so finely honed by the British people during postwar austerity. Make do with larger rubber bumpers, "tamper proof" carburetors and complex fuel systems to keep the product in the American market and keep US dollars coming in. But a stiff upper lip wasn't enough to keep old deigns compliant and BL bet the rent money on a new sports car, but it wasn't a roadster.

"Bullet" Prototype aronline.co.uk

"Lynx" Prototype aronline.co.uk

In 1970 BL launched a sports car committee to create guidelines for a new "corporate" sports car designed to meet current and anticipated European and American safety standards. At the time, NHTSA  had proposed rollover standards that were restrictive enough to effectively outlaw open top cars. The BL sports car committee moved forward with that understanding of American regulations and one of the new sports car's requirements was that it be a closed designed or minimally open hence, the Jaguar XJ-S and the TR7 were closed roof vehicles.
 
BL moved forward with an internal competition to create the new sports car. The winning proposal would be sold under both the Triumph and MG badges. 

"Magna" Prototype aronline.co.uk

Triumph proposed two vehicles: a "Targa" roofed sports car code named "Bullet" and a slightly stretched four place version code named "Lynx". Both cars were attractive designs- the Lynx looking somewhat Italian in appearance and the Bullet looking similar to Porsche's 914. 


Meanwhile, MG (through Austin Motors in Longbridge), having had a pretty mid-engine MGB/MG Midget replacement proposal rejected by BL management in 1970, put forward a two seat, hard top wedge shaped vehicle styled by Harris Mann that was internally named "Magna"- a harkening back to MG's prewar sports cars. It was this design that formed the basis of the TR7 at the decision of BL Chairman Donald Stokes. 

The Shape of Things to Come

It was a radical departure for a Triumph sports car in that it was a unit body design, a first for a small Triumph sports car, but dimensionally it was fairly close to the TR6 it was to replace, almost identical in height and length. Inside, the new TR provided more shoulder room (3") and leg room (7") than the outgoing TR6. 

TR7 Roadster   pistonheads.com

Meanwhile, Chrysler Corporation took NHTSA to court over the proposed rollover standards and the court rejected them in 1972 stating that people who buy open top cars accept the risk inherent in driving

TR7 in Java  triumphtr7.com

without a roof. This not only opened the door for a convertible TR7, but saved the rest of BL's sports car line in America. 

BL called in Italian styling house Michelotti to handle the design and development of the TR7 roadster model. Michelotti had a long relationship with British automakers having designed the foldaway convertible top for the MGB and redesigned the Triumph TR3 body to make the TR4 series.

The roadster was exactly what this last of the TR line needed, helping the TR7 to become the best selling TR ever.

Tartan Plaid Interior Trim   mossmotors.com

Being a product of a huge firm run by marginally competent managers dealing with government meddling and a militant workforce, the TR7 had its problems. Poor build quality haunted the TR all through its life. US owners were not forgiving of nagging reliability problems and eventually the TR7 became a "throwaway" sports car. As their reputation for problems grew, resale values fell until keeping one in good repair became a losing proposition. 

I think its time to give this best selling Triumph (and the last Triumph sold in America) another look. The TR7's design has aged well. The low nose and high tail give it  a look of speed even while standing still and the side creases pioneered on the TR7 can be found on cars on sale today. The interior is comfortable for those of us who are buying belts by the yard these days and the dashboard could even be considered modern. The tartan upholstery may not be to everyone's taste but it was a product of its time and hey, even high end Lotus sports cars wore tartan, too. 

Restoring a TR7 is not impossible if the project car isn't too derelict. Parts are available from the usual sources such as Moss Motors and Victoria British, but be warned, there are a lot of "N/A"s in the catalogs. There are also independent keepers of the TR7 flame that can help, too. Of course, a wise restorer will have a parts car or three on hand.

It's a bit sad that we don't see many TR7s at Gulf Coast British car shows. I think they deserve better.
 

An MG Y-Type in a Nice Italian Suit

Zagato (L) and MG Y-Type (R) -carstyling.ru

The Italian automobile design firm Zagato is known for producing some achingly-beautiful specials. Their elegant, flowing bodies can be found on a number of high end cars that they've restyled including Aston-Martin and Jaguar from the 1950s through today.

Prior to the outbreak of the second World War, Ugo Zagato achieved fame by creating a number of highly streamlined bodies for competition cars. His experience gained through working an early Italian aircraft builder served him well; over thirty competitors in the 1936

 Bristol 403-like Rear Quarter mg-cars.org.uk

Mille Miglia were bodied with Zagato designs.

Zagato lost his factory to allied bombing during the war and set up shop in northern Italy where his firm produced produced military vehicles in cooperation with Isotta-Fraschini. When hostilities ceased, Zagato returned to building custom bodies on other manufacturer's chassis. One of those post-war exercises was on an MG Y-Type.

The late 1940s and early 1950s saw

MG's John Thornley (L) in Lugano mg-cars.org.uk

Zagato design aerodynamically slippery bodies that included the use of a transparent plastic known as Plexiglas. This easily shaped plastic found extensive wartime use in aircraft canopies and windows due to its light weight and shatter resistance. The Zagato-MG show car was a product of the "panoramica" design language that was adopted by Ugo Zagato.

Note the Zagato Emblem on the Bonnet  mg-cars.org.uk

The Zagato Y-Type made its public debut at the 1949 Lugano (Switzerland) Salon. The four-seat coupe body style was quite airy with the side windows and windshield curving up into the roof line. There was no exterior opening to the trunk space making what little space there was exceedingly difficult to access. Ask any Mk I Austin-Healey Sprite owner about this fun feature.

The severely curved side windows meant that they could not be lowered into the doors - they remained fixed in place. The quarter vent windows were likely the only way to admit fresh air to the interior. Impractical, yes, but when did a show car need practicality?

MG's management viewed the car at the Salon with some interest, but unlike the Arnolt-MG of Italy's Carrozzeria Bertone, it did not go into production. The single Zagato Y-Type built is not known to exist today.    

Designed on One Island, Built on Another

When most modern Americans think of "imported cars", the brands that they are likely to name are Asian. Whether actually imported or built in factories in the US, Asian manufacturers (particularly Japanese firms) retain a significant share of the American automotive market. The post World War II era in the US was a completely different market with most small, economical cars coming from England. With the directive of "export or die" hanging over their corporate heads British firms knew that the North American market was their key to survival. But with the arrival of a number of Japanese brands in the US, the days British mass-market car sales in America were numbered. The roots of this demise run deep into many different areas, but one deserves a close look by enthusiasts of classic British cars - Britain's assistance in creating the Japanese automotive juggernaut.

The beginning of automobile production in Japan dates back to the dawn of the twentieth century with various home-built cars, some of which were steam powered. The earliest series produced car was built by the Shokai firm with a production run of 10 cars.

Japanese engineers were keen to learn about automobile production and many went to either find employment with, or observe, car makers world wide. Several of these missions ended with successful negotiations to build those maker's cars on Japanese soil.

In 1918 the British Wolseley firm licensed the production of their A9 and E3 cars and their CP truck to a consortium operated by the Japanese shipbuilding firm of Ishikawajima and Tokyo Gas and Electric Industrial Company.  For the sum of £80,000 paid over ten years - regardless of production numbers, profit or loss - Wolseley would assist in training, equipping and managing the factory in Japan.

Wolseley Type CP by Ishikawajima (jsae.or.jp)

The first purely-Japanese built Wolseley did not appear until 1922 and it was more labor intensive to build than planned for. The resulting high cost meant that the selling price was much higher than the market would accept. Soon, financial problems meant that the payments to Wolseley were reduced. The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 destroyed the automobile assembly line and the small finished stock of cars.

The CP truck line was another story in that the Japanese military paid a subsidy to truck builders provided that they met certain criteria. The Japanese-built Wolseley qualified and went into full production.

The post World War II period saw the same devastation visited on Japan as central Europe. In addition to rebuilding their nation, the Japanese were ruled by the Allied military. Everything from the production of food, clothing and industrial output was tightly regulated. The first transportation need in post war Japan was trucks. Demilitarized trucks were used for rebuilding, shipping goods and personnel transportation. The demand for private cars was filled somewhat by sales of American cars owned by departing US military brass. Car production for civilian use did not begin until 1947 when 300 cars were allowed to be built.

Nissan/Austin A40 (earlydatsun.com)

As the economy improved and military rule ended, Japan's automakers were looking for opportunities to produce larger, more desirable cars than the three-wheeled vehicles that made up most of the light car offering at the time. Once again, England steps in.      
In 1952 an agreement between Nissan and Austin resulted in the Japanese production of the Austin A40. The agreement called for Nissan to purchase "completely knocked down" A40 Somerset kits for assembly in Japan. Everything needed to assemble the car was contained in a large crate and Nissan workers unpacked the components and put everything together on a short assembly line.

The terms of the agreement allowed Nissan to sell the finished cars only in Japan. No royalties were paid to Austin for the first year but the second year, the greater of 2% of the retail value of the cars or £10,000 would be due. The royalty would gradually increase over five years to the greater of 5% or £30,000.

Nissan/Austin A50 (austinmemories.com)

In 1954 Nissan signed an additional agreement with Austin to build the larger A50 Cambridge. The agreement also allowed Nissan to source locally produced components and delete them from the CKD kits. Parts built by Nissan were sent to the UK for validation. At the end of A50 production, the car was 100% Japanese, including the engines. Nissan went on to produce a slightly modified BMC B-series engine line until 1980.

The Rootes Group was not to be left out of the running and in 1953 they signed a licensing agreement with Isuzu (the successor firm to the Ishikawajima consortium) to build the Hillman Minx, Commer vans as well as being the sole importer of British built Rootes vehicles. Isuzu paid Rootes a one-time fee of £50,000 and a royalty of £25 per car after the first 2,000 units.

Isuzu/Hillman Minx (Flicker User Vic Hughes)

Initially, Isuzu assembled Minxes from CKD kits, but the Japanese Ministry of  International Trade and Industry required that the Japanese partner in these so-called technology sharing agreements produce vehicles completely made of Japanese components within five years. This requirement opened the door for many well-known UK parts manufacturers to set up shop in Japan in a similar arrangement.

That the Japanese auto industry grew into a world-beating production powerhouse is well-known. The irony being that as Japanese producer's world market share grew, Britain's declined. Eventually firms such as Nissan and Toyota opened assembly plants in the UK and Honda for a time allowed their Civic to be built by the remnants of British Leyland where it was badged a Triumph. Even into the early years of the 21st century, the majority of models produced by MG-Rover in England were Honda based. 



 
 

The "New" Four Door Coupe Body Style

German automakers are introducing their latest styling innovation in the form of the four door coupe. These low roofed four door cars offer the convenience of the extra doors in a coupe-like body style. Some examples:

BMW Gran Coupe

Mercedes CLS

Audi RS 7

And the original four door coupe:

Rover P5 Coupe

An MG TD With a Spoonful

Hullabaloo 1965 and The Lovin' Spoonful made an appearance lip sync their top 40 hit "Do You Believe in Magic". In keeping with the practice of the day, the set was decorated in a theme and this one was about going places. Highway signage, mannequin-like young ladies on motorcycles and the band perched in an MG TD.

It wasn't a new car at this point in time so painting the band's name on the bonnet probably wasn't a big deal. A small dent on the passenger side rear fender tells us that the car was certainly used as intended.

 

When British Cars Were Exported in Crates

Marque1 Blog

Philip Powell over at the Marque1 blog ran a story about the export crating of British cars. Apparently, most cars were shipped overseas in crates until the early 1960s to allow more cars to be stowed in the holds of ships.

On arrival the cars were lifted out of the holds via the ship's cranes and set down dockside. Today, of course, cars are driven off the vessels.

Check out his entry here.

Motivation: The BMC 'B' Series Engine

The BMC “B” Series engine was one of the world’s most successful medium-displacement four cylinder power plants with production lasting some 26 years. Designed by the Austin Motor Company prior to their merger with Morris Motors and the formation of BMC, the B-series was one of the firms earliest overhead valve engines.   

Early B-Series Engine

In keeping with the technology of the times, the B-series one-piece crankcase and block was cast iron with a cast iron head.  The camshaft was mounted low in the block. The overhead valves were operated via steel pushrods acting on rocker arms. Originally, the engine was built with a three main bearing crankshaft which gave early B-series engines a free-revving nature, but the lack of crankshaft support led to shaft “whip” and eventual failure. Later engines were supplied with five main bearings.

The standard cast iron head had two siamesed  inlet ports and three exhaust ports, all on one side of the head. 

Its first production application was in the new AustinCambridge saloon with engine capacities of 1.2 and 1.5 liters on offer.  Morris used the B-series in their Cambridge and MG installed it in the ZA Magnette, albeit with twin SU carburetors which gave the sporty saloon 60 BHP  - 10 more than the single carburetor 1.5 liter Austin or Morris.

MG further developed the engine for the MGA sports car and was able to extract 68 BHP with clever tuning.

The B-series went through an evolutionary change in 1961 when the block was redesigned to permit greater bore diameter. The engine received bores of slightly over 76mm which provided 1622cc capacity. Again, careful tuning increased power output up to 83 BHP.

The final evolution of the B-series came when the capacity was increased to 1798cc with the introduction of the MGB. 

MGA with Twin Cam B-Series

Engineers at MG were responsible for a couple modifications to the B-series, both of which involved overhead camshafts. A twin cam version was introduced in a high specification MGA produced from 1958 through 1960. This modification produced 108 BHP in high compression (9.9:1) form.  The aluminum head was a crossflow design with eight individual ports. The MGA Twin Cam developed a reputation for short service life primarily due to holed pistons. The issue was traced back to inadvertent lean running and was corrected, but the damage to the reputation of the engine was done.

Later, MG engineers designed a single overhead cam head with an eye towards reducing emissions for the North American market in the early 1970s. Eventually  with a few further changes, this engine morphed into the O-series which was used in various saloon cars into the mid 1980s in displacements up to two liters. 

The B-series (in both gasoline and diesel versions)  found a home under the bonnets of literally dozens of models around the world with some of the more unusual being Massey-Harris combines, International  Harvester delivery vans and some Mercedes vans in the 1970s.

Orange McLarens in Formula 1 Racing

McLaren M7C Grand Prix car - Wikipedia

Fans of the SCCA Canadian-American Challenge Cup know well the shade of orange that the McLaren team used during their heyday in the early 1970s. Called "papaya" by the team, it was used extensively on all of their cars in Can-Am, USAC, Formula 1 and sports prototypes. 

The McLaren (or to be precise the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) web site has an interesting article posted by writer Alan Henry discussing the team's colors:

"There used to be a time when Formula 1 team liveries were predictable and structured. The Italian teams ran in ‘rosso corsa’ racing red, the British outfits in a stately racing green, the French in a Gallic blue and the Germans in white – or bare-metal ‘silver’, as Mercedes’ well-hewn motorsport folk tale popularly recounts."

Check out  Alan's complete entry on the McLaren Blog site.

Minis as Advertising Vehicles

The classic Mini has always been a blank canvas for the creative types. From John Cooper's hot rod Cooper and Cooper S models to platforms for sometimes zany creations, Minis spur the imagination. In the UK, the classic Mini has been used for a number of memorable advertising campaigns. These are some of our favorites.

The Outspan Mini

Courtesy thisbrighton.co.uk

The promotional brainchild of the Capespan firm of South Africa, the Outspan Mini was a fiberglass representation of an orange placed on a shortened Mini platform. Outspan ordered five of the potentially roly-poly little cars for PR duty in the UK in the early 1970s. Orange was certainly the theme with an orange interior made even more so with the use of orange tinted glass for the side windows. The only break from the sea of orange was the green OUTSPAN lettering and the stalk on top. The Outspan Minis contained a driver and a young lady who would alight from the giant orange bearing a basket of fruit to mingle with curious onlookers.

Outspan Minis are still a nostalgic favorite in the UK with the surviving cars making appearances at Mini rallies and historic motoring events.

Flickr User homer____simpson

Duckhams Mini

Based on another shortened Mini platform, the Duckhams Mini was built in 1968 to resemble an outsized gallon can of Duckhams motor oil. The "can" was sheetmetal over a tubular steel frame and the rear axle was taken from a Ford product to, one assumes, give it an aggressive stance. As with other promotional vehicles, the Duckhams Oil Mini was frequently seen at motorsports events and on the open road to promote the brand. Duckhams was also associated with Formula 1 racing particularly with Lotus. 

The Duckhams Mini currently resides in the British Motor Heritage Museum in Gaydon.


Levis Mini

Does the original still exist?

While not as flamboyant as the first two cars here, the Levis Mini was done up in denim blue with orange top stitching recalling the seams on the iconic Levis jeans. A representation of the trademark brass button appeared on the bonnet along with zipper graphics on the sides of the car. Sadly, there is not much information available about the Levis promotional Mini, other than a few images of miniatures around the Internet.

Of course the modern MINI are as much a canvas for today's American marketers with versions running about with giant Red Bull cans on their back and there is even a MINI wienermobile in the wild.

A British Car Festival From Long Ago

The committee making arrangements for the 23rd annual British Car Festival is hard at work to make it one of South Alabama British Car Club's best shows ever.By the way, if you have not entered your car in this year's event you can print an entry form here.

The first show that I was able to attend as an honest-to-goodness British car owner was the 1997 edition that was conducted at the beautiful Bellingrath Gardens site in south Mobile. My 1976 MGB was still mostly dark blue with a faded brown bootlid and it had a gross-looking velour interior, but it was mine and I was proud of it. 

This television advert promoting the event packs a lot of information into 30 seconds. 

London Congestion - 1960

The folks over at the Retronaut web site ran this image of traffic in London during the rail strike of 1960. For fans of golden age British cars, there's a lot to take in.

Courtesy retronaut.com

A quick glance shows a number of Rovers, small Austins and even a Daimler  - possibly a Conquest in the scrum of drivers desperate to make it their destinations in the midst of the work stoppage that affected both surface and underground rails. 

British Motor Corporation's US Offerings - 1964

Whenever you look at automobile pricing from years past, it is striking to see how low prices were "back in the day".  Granted, income was also comparatively low but how do the prices of yesterday look when adjusted to today's dollar?

Let's take a look at the suggested retail price list for British Motor Corporation's products sold in the USA for the 1964 model year. We've got the MGB Roadster (the MGB/GT was still a year away), the MG Midget and its close cousin the Austin-Healey Sprite. The Austin-Healey 3000 topped the range out. 

The image can be enlarged by clicking on it.

Let's take a look at the prices from 1964 adjusted to 2013 dollars:

• MGB -on disc wheels $19,937.00
• MGB -on wire wheels $20,687.00

• MG Midget Mk II- $15,714.00

• Austin-Healey 3000 Mk III $27,266.00

• Austin-Healey Sprite Mk III $14,439.00

 The modern sports car priced closest to the ones listed above would be Mazda's MX5 Miata. The 2013 MX5 base price is around $23,000.00 and can be optioned up to over $30,000.00. If you're looking for something comparable the Midget/Sprite twins of 1964 in today's market, you'll be looking at a Smart ForTwo ($18K+) or a Fiat 500 C ($20K+). Neither the Smart or the Fiat catch spirit of basic, fun driving the same way that the Spridget twins did.

What 1964's new car buyer couldn't begin to imagine, however is the array of technology packed into modern cars, either by government mandate or competitive pressure. 

Taking a look at optional equipment, we can see that a heater was a fairly expensive option, but still cheaper than a factory hardtop for the MGB, anyway. Again, in 2013 dollars.

MGB:

• Heater - $487.00
• Folding (vs. packaway) hood - $225.00
• Whitewall tires - $262.00
• Dunlop Roadspeed tires - $262.00
• Tonneau cover - $300.00
• Hardtop - $1,687.00
• Overdrive - $1,350.00
• Anti roll (sway) bar - $60.00

MG Midget:

• Heater - $450.00
• Tonneau cover - $262.00
• Dunlop Roadspeed tires - $262.00
• Whitewall tires - $262.00

Austin-Healey 3000:

• Tonneau cover - $337.00
• Whitewall tires - $262.00

Austin-Healey Sprite:

• Heater - $450.00
• Tonneau cover - $262.00
• Dunlop Roadspeed tires - $262.00
• Whitewall tires - $262.00

As can be seen from the option list, it would have been fairly easy to option an MGB up to near Big Healey price territory but it would have been a loaded MGB, indeed.

It is also interesting to note that a tonneau cover for a 1964 MGB can be purchased new from Moss Motors for around the same money as the adjusted-for-inflation 1964 price.

So, how have values held up over the years for these special cars? Very nice MGBs and even less than perfect Austin-Healey 3000s could easily bring their inflation adjusted prices. Check out Hemmings Motor News, Hagerty's price guide or one of the dozens of automobile auctions that are televised each year for proof.

Midgets and Sprites from 1964? Well, they have their following, too and while it would not be impossible to find a nice Spridget advertised in the mid-teens, it would be a very nice one.    

Keep Right, Sven

Courtesy Retronaut.com

One of the very few non British Empire nations to drive on the left side of the road was Sweden.  Left-side driving was codified into Swedish law before the advent of automobiles when horsepower meant, well, a horse. 

Right-side driving was debated in the Swedish Parliament for a number years, with proponents suggesting that Sweden should adopt the same side of the road as their Scandinavian neighbors. Others thought it would be dangerous to make such a radical change. A referendum was put before the Swedish people in 1955 and they overwhelmingly chose to stay left.

As governments are wont to do occasionally, the will of the voter was ignored and parliament passed a law in 1963 mandating right-side driving beginning September 3, 1967. 

Over the nighttime hours of September 2 & 3, signs all over Sweden were changed to accommodate the new driving law.  At 4:50AM, traffic nationwide was stopped and vehicles were directed to the right side of the road. At 5:00AM, traffic was again allowed to move but at a very reduced speed.  

The photos posted here are from the excellent Retronaut Web site. They depict the moments leading up to the national changeover. The photos show a large police presence along with more than a few tow trucks, probably standing by to move cars that could not be moved on their own. Of course spectators and photographers are in abundance as well. 

Road Racing in the American South - Early 1970s

George Follmer -Porsche 917-10 (Photo R. Cunningham)

The American road racing scene has a well-documented history with most of it being centered in the northeast and west coast regions. While road racing had its fans in the south, there were markedly fewer venues in the area (save for two rather famous facilities in Florida). 

The Group 44 Equipe (Photo R. Cunningham)

The opening of Road Atlanta in 1970 brought a number of high profile racing series to the deep south, including Can-Am, Formula 5000, Trans-Am as well as numerous SCCA club events. One young fan in Mobile, Alabama was thrilled that world-class racing was near and made several trips to the course not long after its opening. 

Friend and fellow British car enthusiast Richard Cunningham shot literally hundreds of photos during his time there and he has posted a number of them on his Picasa page. Using a press credential obtained from a local news organization, Richard was able to get access to areas that are normally off-limits to fans. This access gave him a just-inside-the-armco vantage point to snap action photos of the competitors on the track.

The Original Road Atlanta Bridge (Photo R. Cunningham)

In the paddock, Richard shot photos of the greats - Mark Donohue, Peter Revson and Jody Scheckter. There are photos of the support rigs, the teams and the spectators. One jarring photo shows a Can-Am Chevrolet engine with a picture window in the block, courtesy of a wayward connecting rod. 
 
The collection can be found here.